All I Ever Wanted
by CUtopia
Summary: Musician!AU - When Andromeda Black and Ted Tonks met at the Royal Academy of Music, two worlds collided.


Entry for the _Music History OWL_ at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

 **Task:** Write a story that somehow includes music.

Prompts:

(AU) Musician/Band!AU

(Setting) Concert

(Type of Character) Hard-working

Entry for the _September Event: Back to School_

(word) Future

(dialogue) "We spent a beautiful night together and I haven't heard from you since."

Entry for the _Greek Mythology Competition_

 **Eros:** Write about falling in love

Entry for the _Gringotts Prompt Bank_

Thanks a lot to Dina and FF, who betaed this for me! :)

Also, the conductor was inspired by one of the music teachers of my former school! Thank you for the music! :)

(5070 Words)

* * *

 **All I Ever Wanted**

Ted Tonks could feel all the curious glances that were following him as he walked down the hallway. It probably was obvious that he was new at the college, as he was searching for any directories with an expression of confusion and helplessness on his face. Though most were simply seeming to wonder where he wanted to go, and why he was lost, some were eyeing his clothes, making him feel uncomfortable. He'd tried his best to not look out of place, to appear like he belonged here, but looking at the Prada and Dior labels that were sometimes openly flashing at him, the feeling of being an intruder only intensified.

Maybe he should have declined to join, there were other good colleges in the United Kingdom that provided an excellent musical education, and they were full with people who were at least a tiny bit more ordinary, like him.

On the other hand, his mother would never have stopped whining about him declining a full scholarship for the Royal Academy of Music. And of course, Ted would have regretted the choice immediately, as it was an offer one hardly got twice. So he'd kind of had no other choice, and though he felt uncomfortable and nervous while walking through the hallways of the building at Regent's Park, he was also immensely excited. He'd reached what many young musicians could only dream about, and the Royal Academy of Music offered only the best perspectives for a future career.

Lost in his thoughts, Ted didn't register where he was going, and was ungently ripped from his pondering about potential catastrophes when he collided with someone. Jumping backwards and slightly swaying because of the weight of his cello on his back, Ted looked up with wide eyes. His face was reddening as he realised that he'd just ran into one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever seen – her light brown hair was curling flawlessly over her shoulders, her lips had the colour of a ripe cherry and her dark eyes... They mustered him with an intensity that a shiver ran down his spine.

She was tall, nearly as tall as he was, and her slim form was wrapped in an elegant green dress, which made her look so sophisticated that Ted felt like she could be a member of the Royal Family. Clearing his throat, Ted stammered while blushing even heavier: "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to run into you."

It was as if someone had boxed him in the stomach as she gave his clothing another once over, nodded curtly at him and the walked away, seeming to float over the stone floor. For a moment, Ted felt like yelling something after her, but he felt like he would be the first person to yell in these hallways and the last thing he wanted was to stick out even more on his very first day. At least she hadn't looked at him with the same arrogance that some of the other students had openly showed; her expression had been a mixture of curiosity and indifference, something he could live with.

Focussing more on his surroundings, Ted realised that the girl had come from an office, and he was kind of glad that he'd collided with her – next to the office hung the plaque 'Student Directory'. He probably would have overlooked it hadn't he ran into her – at least he didn't have to wander around anymore.

He felt like things could only get better from now on, and he was silently begging that he would blend into the crowds of students soon – he didn't want to feel like an outsider, he wanted a place where he belonged, where nobody treated him like he was some alien who was intruding their world. Maybe his skills would for once count more than his heritage...

OoO

Andromeda Black inwardly cursed as she walked away from the guy she'd just collided with. She really should have been paying more attention to where she was going, or at least could have suppressed the urge to flee out of embarrassment for a moment longer. Now she'd made herself look like an arrogant bitch on her very first day, and that was normally her sister Narcissa's job.

There went her ambitions to appear like a normal person, like someone people could talk with without having her family name in the back of their heads. She just wanted to be treated like she was just another student and didn't want to be judged by her family's wealth.

But of course, this wish had been destroyed the very moment she'd entered the student directory – the staff of course had known that a child from the Black family had enrolled into the Royal Academy of Music on this very day, and had been prepared to welcome her. Her father probably would have approved of such a welcome ceremony, but Andromeda had felt extremely uncomfortable. She'd cursed her father for donating so much money to the Academy that probably everyone thought that he'd bought his daughter's way into this music elite of the country. Andromeda really wished that people could have seen her skills first before hearing about the donation, but of course, things weren't going her way.

The first thing she'd spotted in the entrance hall had been a shiny glass plaque with the name Black on it, and there she'd already received the first funny looks. People like these knew her face from soirées and galas her father had given, and now they were acting as if their families hadn't given the Academy any money. And some of them really had bought their way into the school, that was something she knew for sure.

How she hated double standards.

And the day had barely even begun yet; in the first event of the semester – a welcome hour with the Duke of the faculty and some other professors – her name was immediately mentioned, and all eyes were on Andromeda before she could manage to hide her face behind something. In this moment, she felt the strong desire to strangle someone, _anyone_ – her father, the Duke, the girl in the row in front of her that turned around and gave her a derogatory glance...

All she wanted was to study here and then join an orchestra far, far away from the United Kingdom, somewhere where nobody knew about her, her family or their fortune.

The only thing lifting her up was the announcement that the orchestra would have its first practice this afternoon – the prospect of playing relaxed her a lot.

OoO

Andromeda had barely been able to sit through the first classes; she found the introductions very dull, and half of the professors had felt the need to point her presence out, only worsening her mood with their enthusiasm. It didn't seem like anybody was expecting her to be a good student or a good musician – they all just wanted to see the daughter of the man who could buy whatever he wanted.

For Andromeda, it was as if the hard work she'd been putting into her passion, all the hours she'd spent practicing, all the birthdays of friends she'd missed in order to get better, meant nothing as soon as her father waved his checkbook.

But in the orchestra, she would hopefully just be one instrument of many, not more important than any of the others.

And so she was feeling a small bit of enthusiasm as she made her way towards the biggest of the rehearsal rooms, hoping that the day would end a little bit better than it had begun.

A big notice-board was hanging next to the entrance of the rehearsal room and Andromeda stopped in the middle of the hallway as she recognised the person standing in front of it. It was the boy she'd ran into earlier this morning; he was ruffling through his dark blond hair while his blue eyes were scanning one of the many announcements pinned to the board. Taking a deep breath, Andromeda approached him, briefly noticing that he'd read a paper informing about a soloist try-out.

"Uhm, hello," she greeted him, clearing her throat upon noticing that she was feeling slightly nervous about talking to him. The boy turned around, surprise flitting over his face for a moment as he seemed to recognise her, and Andromeda gave him a crooked smile. "Yeah, I... I'm the person who ran into you this morning and... well, I wanted to apologise, it was really embarrassing to simply walk away... I'm sorry... I was just not in my best mood, not that it would justify running into you and leaving without saying anything, it's just... I had a horrible morning, and I really wasn't... uh... I really am sorry!"

She was puzzled why she could only babble incoherently when he was looking at her; normally, she had no problem with displaying confidence, even in situations in which she didn't really have any.

But here she stood, feeling herself blush about a simple apology – and there she'd thought that the day couldn't get any worse.

"Okay, apology accepted," Ted nodded, sounding so friendly that Andromeda was slightly taken aback. She definitely hadn't expected him to be so relaxed about it, many other people would have told her off for being so ignorant...

"Oh, good," she smiled, finally allowing the relief to take her over as Ted offered her his hand and she took it to shake it. "I'm Andromeda Black."

"I know," he smirked, his expression remaining open and friendly. "I'm Edward Tonks, but please call me Ted."

"I didn't know," she joked, inwardly rolling her eyes at this really bad attempt to be funny. What was going on with her? "So... you're going to the first orchestra rehearsal too?"

It was an obvious question, but she couldn't think of anything else to start a conversation with. Talking about music seemed like a safe thing to do, and she really wanted to guide the conversation away from anything that could potentially result in him asking her about her family.

"Yes, it was the only thing that kept me going today. All these monologues about what their topics are about... I'm curious what we will play," Ted answered, leaning his back against the notice-board and blushing as he accidentally ripped a few of the papers off. Andromeda tried her best not to laugh as she hurried to kneel and help him pick them up.

While pinning one of the papers back at the board, Ted asked: "What instrument are you playing?"

"Flute. A lot easier to transport than a cello," she winked, urging herself to not start playing around with her hair.

"But a cello has this 'hey, look, I'm a musician' charm," Ted grinned back, but before Andromeda could answer, they saw the professor who was conducting the orchestra rushing down the hallway. He'd been introduced this morning, and Andromeda and Ted hurried to get into the rehearsal room before the conductor. Andromeda flashed a quick smile at him before making her way to the flute wing of the orchestra on the other side of the room, while Ted took his cello from his back and sat down on one of the free chairs in the cello section.

The first half hour of the scheduled rehearsal time was used for organisational matters, but as the slightly chaotic but sympathetic professor was finally done with talking about work ethics, it was finally time to learn what they would play. He pulled big stacks of paper from his old brown leather panniers and wordlessly handed them to two students from the first violin to hand them out.

Then, he opened his arms with a wide, enthusiastic grin, pulled a baton from his sleeve and announced: "We'll start off with Romeo and Juliet by Nino Rota, ladies and gentlemen. I'm sure this will be fun for all of us! And by the way, for those who haven't seen the announcement on the notice-board: I will be coaching soloists and duets this semester, so if anyone is interested into some extra workload, don't hesitate to enlist!"

Andromeda felt like the work atmosphere the professor was spreading helped to make her feel at home, even though her fellow flutists weren't particularly friendly towards her. When she'd greeted them upon sitting down, they'd ignored her or had given her glances that signalled to her that she shouldn't expect them to talk with her at all.

But at least she got to play, and Ted was sending an encouraging smile at her from the other side of the orchestra, making everything feel less bitter. And she was glad that there was one person who hadn't talked about her family at all – the day had brought something good in the end as well.

OoO

In the next weeks, the behaviour of most of the people in her semester didn't change at all. Andromeda was still treated like she didn't belong there. No amount of hard work and preparation could show them why she had been accepted at the Academy, and before she'd told herself to simply ignore them, it had highly frustrated her.

But at least she had some tiny things to look forward to: orchestra rehearsals, the conductors crazy ties (with violin clefs, clover or other funny patterns printed on it), and the times she had together with Ted Tonks.

Ted was the only person who really bothered to talk with her, and he always sat next to her in the auditorium. When the professors were holding dull monologues, he was whispering jokes into her ear, making her giggle so much that she sometimes disturbed the whole lecture. One afternoon, following another orchestra rehearsal, Ted asked her if she wanted to have a coffee at Starbucks with her, and she was glad to accept. She'd noticed that Ted, too, was shunned by the other students, but she didn't want to know why, as she knew that she wouldn't care anyway.

He was a nice guy who could make her laugh, and that was all that mattered to her.

While drinking coffee, they talked about everything that came to their mind – music, of course, food, books and their plans for the future.

OoO

Autumn came, and Andromeda and Ted started to study together, finding that they enjoyed each other's company a lot. Equipped with pumpkin lattes and cookies, they spent hours in the library, joking around while the rain splattered against the windows. Between the shelves, they got to know each other better, sharing stories from their childhood and discovering their mutual love for bad movies.

Andromeda had never thought that she would meet someone with whom she could have so much fun, but there Ted was, right in front of her.

It became their little tradition to go for a coffee after orchestra rehearsal, and soon they also started to spend time together away from university.

During long evenings with cooking and watching some of the worst movies that they knew, they grew closer. And when they were together, they didn't care about all the dislike the other students were showing towards them; they had themselves, and that was enough. Andromeda couldn't remember that she'd ever had a friend like Ted.

With him, she could laugh and then immediately talk about serious things, she could reveal her quirky side and he showed her his.

They encouraged each other, and they challenged each other while studying; they were both hard-working, determined to reach for their dreams, but together, they only seemed to be getting better.

Sometimes they would just sit together in one of the practice rooms, playing random pop songs together and laughing when they screwed up because they only knew the rough melody of it.

And before they could really comprehend, they'd become best friends who were always there for each other, and who were so close that nothing seemed to be able to rip them apart.

There were many shared glances during the orchestra rehearsals, grins sent through a whole room, and Andromeda was surprised to find herself sometimes flirting with him. She didn't do that on purpose, it just came naturally to her, and his responses made her continue.

The first exams came and went, and the end of the semester gala for parents and donors they would play at approached fast, doubling the rehearsals, but that only meant that they could spend more time together, away from studying.

And as time passed by, Andromeda could feel how Ted became more and more important for her, to the point where she felt like she would not be able to cope if she should ever lose him as a friend.

OoO

Andromeda had to admit that she was extremely nervous as she sat in the taxi on the way to the gala's venue. It wasn't so much the performance that made her feel shaky, but the thought of spending an evening with Ted in an atmosphere like that... Some people would probably call it something like a date, even though he hadn't officially asked her if she wanted to spend the evening with him. They just both knew that they would, with Ted having none of his family attend and Andromeda knowing that she didn't want to be near her family for longer than necessary.

The taxi stopped in front of the venue, and Andromeda grabbed her evening purse and her flute case after handing the driver his money, and climbed out of the car. Of course, the space reserved for photographers right next to the red carpet was still empty, but nonetheless it had something special to walk over the red carpet that led up the marble steps and inside.

A lot of the students were already there, tuning their instruments and preparing their sheets in the right order. She spotted Ted standing a little bit away from the busy bustling, next to one of the ice statues that were decorating the hall; she'd nearly not recognised him as he looked completely different in his black suit. He was just adjusting his black tie as she walked over, and she blushed as his eyes widened upon the sight of her in her black cocktail dress.

"Hey," she smiled, trying not to show too openly that the admiration and surprise he was looking at her with was making her become slightly flustered. Ted cleared his throat a little bit louder than necessary before hugging her as usual.

"Wow, Andy, you... you look magnificent," he breathed into her ear before letting go of her again, his cheeks a tiny bit red.

"Thank you, you look great too," Andromeda smiled back. "I think I better prepare, the taxi took a little bit longer getting here than I thought it would."

Ted accompanied her to her place in the orchestra and silently watched her while she prepared her flute and her lips for the concert. The conductor was rushing from one side of the room to the other, giving advice here and adjusting microphones there, a joyful whirlwind that held the whole troop together.

Andromeda gulped hard as the first guests started to file into the room and she spotted her parents among them; she could already tell that the focus of the event would unnecessarily be shoved onto her, and everyone would assume that she was trying to steal the show.

And so she concentrated on the only thing that was keeping her from throwing all of this into the wind: music. With as much dedication as possible, she played herself warm, going through the tricky passages for the last time and wishing Ted luck before he went over to his place.

She didn't really listen when the Duke of the university held a short welcome speech, and she only started to pay attention again when the conductor raised his arms and smiled at all musicians, turning slowly from left to right.

Behind him, the room was falling silent, and like many others, Andromeda smiled back at the conductor as if this simple gesture was a confirmation to his unspoken order to have fun. Then, with his usual wide gestures, he signalled the beginning of the piece, and Andromeda forgot that people were watching them.

She dived deep into the music, determined to show what she'd been working for so hard all these years since she'd first picked up this instrument. Every note was handled with care, and she could tell that it was good. It was flowing freely, not a single tact was timed wrongly, and the tone of the music captivated everyone who was listening to them.

As the last note slowly faded away, silence filled the room, and only as the conductor lowered his arms, the guests dared to applaud. Everybody looked thrilled, and it seemed like an eternity until they stopped clapping; in the meantime, the whole orchestra had risen from their chairs, bathing in the praise for a moment before they left the stage with their instruments. A string quartet of older students, also from the Royal Academy of Music, took the stage over to play some background music for the rest of the evening.

They left their instruments in a guarded hallway next to the room in which the gala was taking place and then joined the crowd. Many students were immediately greeting their parents, but Andromeda, even though she had seen her father and mother across the room, pulled Ted with her towards the bar. After ordering a glass of red wine for each of them, they weaved through the crowd together. Andromeda was always watching that they wouldn't pass her parents too closely and walked onto the huge balcony to which the high glass doors opened.

The soft music wafted outside through the doors; the night air was cool and thousands of stars twinkled in the sky above them, not a single cloud blocking the view into the universe. Andromeda took a sip from her wine and returned the smile that Ted gave her; she was a little bit puzzled about why he seemed to look a lot more comfortable now that they were alone, but she decided not to comment on it. After all, he wasn't asking her questions about her family, so she would return him the favour.

She let her gaze wander over the garden that spread out under the balcony, lit by a handful of old Paris street lanterns. A fountain was burbling close to them, the lights installed in it changing their colour every few seconds. Gingerly placing her wine glass on the broad stone balustrade, Andromeda whispered: "It was a very good concert, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Ted agreed, sounding as if he wasn't completely there mentally. His gaze was fixed on a point somewhere in the garden below them, and Andromeda mustered his face, taking in every abnormal line.

"Do you feel uncomfortable?" She asked, and the way his back tensed she could tell that she had hit the problem. Taking her wine glass, she smiled at him and then downed it in a few big gulps while he watched her with wide eyes.

Grimacing a bit about the aftertaste, Andromeda grabbed his hand and suggested: "Let's leave! This is a boring event anyway. Come on!"

Not many people paid them any attention as they pushed their way through the crowd inside, hurrying to grab their stuff before dashing outside. Andromeda thought that she'd seen her father try to reach them – probably to chastise her for boisterous behaviour – but she didn't care, and they were sitting in a taxi, laughing, before anybody could stop them. She gave the driver her address and looked at Ted with gleaming eyes.

"This felt good," she chuckled in amusement and Ted nodded, not breaking their eye contact for a moment as he shifted on the backseat they'd squeezed onto with his cello. They both forgot that they were sitting in a taxi, or maybe they didn't care...

Ted softly cupped her cheek, leaned forward and kissed her gently, putting a lot of suppressed feelings into this kiss.

OoO

When Andromeda awoke the next morning, the sun was tickling her nose and though she had a slight headache, she felt more relaxed than ever before in her life. Memories, little snapshots of the previous night crossed her mind and she smiled to herself.

However, the smile faded as she regained complete consciousness and realised that she was lying alone in her bed, even though she'd definitely fallen asleep together with Ted. Opening her eyes, she rolled over, seeing the spot that Ted had occupied empty and the sheets were a little bit tangled, as if someone had stood up from the bed in a rush. All his clothes were gone, only hers were lying on the floor next to her bed.

Wrapping herself into her blanket, she stood up and lumbered into the living room, finding that his cello wasn't where he'd left it that evening as well. The realisation that he'd really snuck out of her flat while she'd been asleep hurt, and sinking onto her couch with tears in her eyes, she asked herself why he'd done that.

They'd talked a lot upon arriving at her flat, they'd kissed, and then they'd ultimately made their way into the bedroom, sleeping with each other. It had felt so good, so right, and Andromeda had never felt so close to someone. He'd treated her better than anyone she'd ever had a relationship with, making her think that she meant something to him.

But sitting in her living room, alone, Andromeda felt like that had just been an illusion. Had he really made all that effort only to shag her?

She didn't want to believe it, but the things she was confronted with right now told her that it had to be true. Why else would he have left her alone in the early morning?

Andromeda didn't stop the tears as they started to fall; wrapping her arms around her torso, she rolled up like a cat on the couch and sobbed. Her heart was heavy in her chest, and she felt so used.

OoO

The next week only brought more sadness for Andromeda. When she came to university, Ted ignored her, sitting as far as possible from her during the lectures and whenever she tried to approach him, he disappeared. It only made her feel worse, as if she wasn't existent for him anymore.

The more often this happened, the more her sadness and humiliation were turning into anger. She wanted an explanation why he suddenly treated her like they had never been friends at all, and as if they hadn't slept with each other.

And then, about two weeks after the concert and the night they'd spent together, Andromeda snapped.

In the same moment she spotted Ted in the hallway, she pushed her way through the crowd of students, ignoring the loud protests. Before Ted could even attempt to turn around, Andromeda sprinted towards him, grabbed him by the jacket and pushed him into an empty classroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

"What the hell is going on with you, Ted? We spent a beautiful night together, and I haven't heard from you since! And what I found really odd was that you seriously snuck out of my flat before I woke up and that you're ignoring me now!" She exclaimed, glaring at him while Ted avoided her gaze, looking down at his shoes. "Did I do anything wrong? Or did you just plan to have sex with me from the beginning? Could you at least give me a proper explanation?"

He shuffled from one foot to the other, and she could see his adam's apple bob up and down as he gulped. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she looked at him expectantly, tapping her foot to increase the pressure on him. When Ted finally opened his mouth, his voice was quiet, and he sounded extremely shaky.

"I... I panicked."

"You panicked?" she repeated, cocking one perfect eyebrow. Ted nodded, licking his lips nervously.

"I... I was already feeling odd during the concert already, and when you took me home with you... well, I entered this extravagant flat that was larger than the flat I grew up in and I felt like... I felt like I didn't belong there with you."

"What do you mean?" Andromeda asked, making sure that her tone was a lot softer than before. Now that he was confessing what had been going on with him, and it seemed to be something really serious, she didn't want to discourage him.

"Look... I'm only here because I received a scholarship that pays for all my scholastic expenses. My family is poor, I grew up wearing the old clothes of my brother and cousins... and then there's you, and all the others here. You've always had so much and you are living this life I only knew from movies... Andromeda, I love you, but... we are from two different worlds..."

He ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes for a moment, as if he needed to collect himself.

"I'm a nobody, and I have nothing to offer to you. I doubt that you would stay with me for long, as I have nothing to give."

Andromeda took his hand, tears shining in her eyes as she whispered: "But Ted, I'm asking for nothing except your love, you lovely fool! You're the only person in this damned place that has treated me like a normal human being, you're my best friend, and I don't need more than this!"

"I... I thought..."

"Did you seriously think that I would expect you to buy me diamonds? All I ever wanted was to feel like I was just an ordinary girl, and you gave me that! You are giving me all I could ask for, Ted," Andromeda assured him, and before she could say anything else, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer for a kiss.


End file.
